Protesters: End Aggressive Policing In NYC Schools
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's time for educators, not police, to discipline New York City schoolchildren, protesters said Wednesday.
In a rally outside the Department of Education's headquarters in Manhattan, parents and students called for the next mayor to end overly aggressive policing in schools, 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks reported. They said children are routinely being patted down and handcuffed for noncriminal behavior.
Cassandra Whitney told protesters that she sent her two children to NYC public schools "to learn, but rather than be inspired, they were confronted with metal detectors and NYPD officers every day at their schools. The constant police presence was a source of fear and intimidation.
"As a parent, I am disgusted, appalled and fed up."
Protesters: End Aggressive Policing In NYC Schools
Donna Lieberman, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said she wants to see "an end to school discipline by arrest, an end to pat-downs, stop-and-frisk for cellphones (and) an end to 5-year-olds in handcuffs for throwing a tantrum."
Student Diane Smith, 16, said minority students, especially, are often disrespected by police officers on school grounds.
"Students are being handcuffed and restrained for noncriminal misbehavior," she said. "And students of color, immigrant students and students with special needs are disproportionately impacted by this arrests."
Meanwhile in Westchester County, some schools this year are hiring armed police officers to patrol campuses.
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